The Man Who Was Thursday'The Man Who Was Thursday' explicates the text with footnotes, together with an introductory essay on the metaphysical meaning of Chestertons profound allegory. Martin Gardner sees the novels anarchists as symbols of our God-given free will, and the mysterious Sunday as representing Nature, with its strange mixture of good and evil when considered as distinct from God, as a mask hiding the transcendental face of the creator. The book also includes a bibliography listing the novels many earlier editions and stage dramatizations, as well as illustrations that further illuminate the text. A story of mystery and espionage, it's also functions as a vehicle for social, religious, and philosophical commentary. |
Contents
The Two Poets of Saffron Park | 31 |
The Secret of Gabriel Syme | 50 |
The Man Who Was Thursday | 60 |
The Tale of a Detective | 74 |
The Feast of Fear | 90 |
The Exposure | 102 |
The Unaccountable Conduct of Professor de Worms | 114 |
The Professor Explains | 129 |
The Duel | 167 |
The Criminals Chase the Police | 187 |
The Earth in Anarchy | 198 |
The Pursuit of the President | 220 |
The Six Philosophers | 238 |
The Accuser | 254 |
APPENDIX | 267 |
BIBLIOGRAPHY | 285 |
Common terms and phrases
anarchist anarchy asked Syme balcony barrel-organ beard Bedford Park blue bomb Bull called Chesterton cloud Colonel Ducroix Comrade Gregory Conlon dark David Singmaster detective devil E. C. BENTLEY elephant everything eyes face fancy fear fight Fleet Street French G. K. Chesterton Gabriel Syme gentleman Gogol Gollywogg Green Carnation grey Gustave Doré hair hand head horse human iron lantern knew laughed Leicester Square light London looked Ludgate Circus Ludgate Hill Mâcon Marquis mean mystery never nightmare novel pale poem poet police policeman President Professor de Worms Ratcliffe remember Renard replied road roar round Saffron Park Secretary seemed sense silence smile sort spectacles staring stood strange street suddenly Sunday Sunday's suppose sword Syme's talk tell terton thing thought Thursday trees Trent's Last turned voice walk whole wild words
Popular passages
Page 26 - ... his gasping lay white on the turf, And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf. And there lay the rider distorted and pale, With the dew on his brow and the rust on his mail ; And the tents were all silent, the banners alone, The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown.
Page 15 - Now there was a day when the sons of GOD came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou ? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
Page 16 - And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock : and it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: and I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts : but my face shall not be seen.
Page 25 - A cloud was on the mind of men, and wailing went the weather, Yea, a sick cloud upon the soul when we were boys together. Science announced nonentity and art admired decay; The world was old and ended: but you and I were gay...
Page 16 - Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock : and it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by : and I will take away mine hand, and thou lhalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
Page 25 - ... admired decay; The world was old and ended: but you and I were gay; Round us in antic order their crippled vices came — Lust that had lost its laughter, fear that had lost its shame. Like the white lock of Whistler, that lit our aimless gloom, Men showed their own white feather as proudly as a plume. Life was a fly that faded, and death a drone that stung; The world was very old indeed when you and I were young.
Page 5 - My dear fellow," said Sherlock Holmes as we sat on either side of the fire in his lodgings at Baker Street, "life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent.